If you are having pain in your legs, arms and parts of your back not relieved by surgery or meds, ask your doctor/surgeon about the Spinal Cord Stimulator, don't follow my mistakes.I have had (4) back surgeries, and I still have what has, for the past (5) years, been called Neuropathy pain in my legs/feet. When all of this started I didn't even have back pain, just really painful outer left leg pain. The doctor put me on a steroid pack and neurontin. I got a little pain relief, but persisted. I was referred to a Neurologist. He got a MRI done of neck and back. In addition to the back problems I started having pain, numbness and loss of feeling in my left arm/hand. The MRI showed a large herniated disk in the neck and lower back. The first surgery was (10) hours, had to be interupted due to a decline in vital signs. I was in more pain after the first surgery, so bad I wanted to die, despite being on pain meds. It took (40) days to convince the Neurosurgeon to reoperate, and he found that he rested a bone on the nerve root. Anyway, even the second surgery was not done correctly, so I had back pain, which I never had before surgery, and I continued to have bad left leg pain. A move resulted in my finding an orthopedic surgeon for back and left leg pain still not resolved, so a third surgery was done after it was found that the the instruments' screws in the lower back were burrowing holes in the bones and were within inches of paralyzing me, so the instrumentation was taken out, along with measures done to relieve the pain, but it didn't.
A move again allowed me to seek out another orthopedic surgeon, although I had to drive seven hours from my home to get to him. I explained to him, my back pain aside I still have leg pain and no surgery before or meds have really helped that and now having similar pain starting in the rights. He did surgery, but as I was waking up from the first surgery, I could not move my legs so after some debate with the recovery room nurse I was rushed back into surgery and had blood/fluids removed that were placing pressure on the spinal cord not allowing me to move my legs. While I was waking up from the second surgery, the surgeon said we have your back fixed and I have a plan involving surgery to correct the pain in the legs. I was really mad, I just woke up from a fourth surgery and he was telling me that I needed additional surgery.
During the follow up care he explained to me it was a Spinal Cord Stimulator, so I did some research and although not wanting to rush into another surgery, I wanted/needed the pain in my legs to stop.
All of the above has led to this: in the research I found the Spinal Cord Stimulator has worked in failed back surgeries and neuropathy pain. It involves a consultation with a pain management specialist to do what is called the trial. This involves as an outpatient procedure the temporary placement of electrodes in your back and the wires outside of the body with a control device so that you can adjust to obtain a higher comfort level. After three to five days it is removed and the insurance company is provided the data and if you it reduces your level of pain 50% or more and or reduces the amount of pain medicine then you may be approved for the permanent placement, which involves the internal placement of electrodes attached to a control device inplanted in the lower abd, or upper buttocks area. I am told I will have to spend the night in the hospital. I am at the point of finding a pain management specialist. My surgeon in Tucson, would prefer that it be done in Tucson, but it is as noted above a long drive. There is a doctor in Las Vegas who can do the trial aspect, and that would only be a hour and a half away, so I am filling out his paperwork to see if I meet his criteria. There is also a pain management doctor in the town where I live, but I have to wait a month just for the consultation and then I would still have to wait for the insurance to accept, which I am told could take another month, and I am not sure I trust his ability to do it, not to mention that it be done so that I do not get an infection. I will work on all and keep you updated.
Do the research, like I did on the internet, ask your doctor/surgeon, and see if it is a viable alternative for you.
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